Herman, That's Who
Jane Scott, Young Ohio Editor
The Plain Dealer, September 8, 1967
You missed them? Tough!
The WHK Herman’s Hermits-Who-Blues Magoos-Choir concerts last week were two of the highs of the year.
“Fantastic,” said Charma Collins, 15, who came to Public Music Hall from Medina.
There was a kind of scream all over the audience when Peter (Herman) Noone hit the scene.
Herman hopped on stage in drapery material pats, a red jacket and a glittery gold-colored shirt. He tap-danced, he shuffled, he mugged, he jumped up and down, looked through the microphone, threw out “Ellos” and clapped up a storm. The audience threw everything from a pink teddy bear to orange WHK tenna-toppers.
The Manchester, England men on their first visit here — Derek “Lek” Leckenby, Karl Green, Keith Hopwood and Barry Whitman — opened with a Beatles number, “A Little Bit of Help from my Friends,” in honor of the late Brian Epstein.
And they had quite an act to follow. The Who wound up with “My Generation” in a flash of smoke and half their instruments off stage. The Blues Magoos appears in $1,000 wired-by-battery suits that lit up like a stadium scoreboard. And Cleveland’s top pop group, the Choir, played their “It’s Cold Outside.”
The audience saw much more of Herman than they had expected. More than 24 pounds more.
“In January I weighed 126, now I’m over 150,” he admitted in a backstage interview.
What’s Herman like? He’s friendly, boyish, optimistic, easy-going and a natural comedian. Some of his opinions:
Epstein: “He was a great guy. He’d been sick nearly a year. He had jaundice hepatitis. I never liked him at first. He owned a theater and one time I went there to see Chuck Berry. He said ‘Go upstairs and sit in the box.’ I found out he’d do anything for you.”
Love life: “Very so-so at the moment.”
Girls: “I went with a girl from Paducah, Ky., for three months. And Green Bay, Wisc. That was another one.”
Marriage: “Any age is good. My parents were 18 and 17 when they got married. And they’re still happy after, let’s see, 23 years.:
Family: “I’ve got three sisters, 21, 16 and 3.”
Psychedelic music: “It’s very young.”
Hobbies: “I just bought a video recorder. A Sony. It’s fantastic, I can play back things.”
Philosophy: “Be myself.”
Favorite comedian: “Richard Pryor. I saw him on TV. He’s the most fantastic comedian. He’s only about 21. I couldn’t stop laughing.”
Karl Green is the only married Hermit. “Lek” is the most outgoing of the others on the stage. The group records for MGM.
“I don’t like the hippie movement. They’re against anything real,” said “Lek.”
The Who — drummer Keith Moon; bass John Entwhistle; lead singer Roger Daltrey and lead guitar Peter Townsend — were gloriously unreal.
Keith, in aqua pants, a white topper and a Sassoon haircut, looked like an imp. He plays his $3,000 drum like you wouldn’t believe.
“I breed chickens and I can read lips,” he said. He’s modest, doesn’t push himself above the others.
John, the only married Who, is a gardener at heart. He’s been married seven weeks. Peter collects tape recorders. Roger, in a figured jacket and ruffled shirt, looked like an English version of Tommy James. He scored with “Happy Jack,” “Pictures of Lily” and “Summertime Blues.”
Al James, Bob Friend, Johnny Michaels, Hal “Baby” Moore, and Russ “Weird Beard” Knight of WHK emceed.
And would you believe the Blues Magoos in haircuts? True!! And they looked terrific. Peppy Magoo popped out with octaganal glasses and curly cropped hair. Several teens didn’t even recognize Ron Magoo at first.
